Favorite pick?

[whorlnut]

For me it’s Khalil Shakir. Not sure how a guy with 4.43 speed and his production can be there when there was a massive run on WRs. Apparently Beane thought enough of him to move up 20 spots to get him. 
 

Everything I see says he’s elite in YAC, which is something we sorely lack. He’s our long term slot IMO. I expect to see him get burn this year in sweeps and returns. I’m very excited about this pick. 

[noacls]

Bernard

[Last Guy on the Bench]

I'm going against the chalk to say Bernard.

 

Can't say I had ever heard of him pre-draft, but watching the highlights, reading the scouting reports, and, most of all, listening to him (super impressive guy), he's the kind of player I just love. And I still have a soft spot for a playmaking linebacker, because I am old and haven't quite caught up to the fact that LBs aren't nearly as important as they once were.

 

He's not the best player we drafted (probably), and could just be a kind of useful backup in his career. But I'm hoping he's stamped for bigger things. Love the way he plays.

 

Shakir would probably be second for me.

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

4 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

For me it’s Khalil Shakir. Not sure how a guy with 4.43 speed and his production can be there when there was a massive run on WRs. Apparently Beane thought enough of him to move up 20 spots to get him. 
 

Everything I see says he’s elite in YAC, which is something we sorely lack. He’s our long term slot IMO. I expect to see him get burn this year in sweeps and returns. I’m very excited about this pick. 

 

I'm definitely a Shakir fan also but it's the obvious choice for me, CB Kaiir Elam, this kid seems hungry, already wanted the playbook on the plane and will most likely soak everything the secondary is offering him as far as getting up to speed. I saw what they did with 7th round pick Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson, I can't even imagine what this kid will be in a year or 2 but I'm excited to see.

[Beast]

Elam. A need and a good player.

[Last Guy on the Bench]

4 minutes ago, BuffaloBillsGospel2014 said:

 

I'm definitely a Shakir fan also but it's the obvious choice for me, CB Kaiir Elam, this kid seems hungry, already wanted the playbook on the plane and will most likely soak everything the secondary is offering him as far as getting up to speed. I saw what they did with 7th round pick Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson, I can't even imagine what this kid will be in a year or 2 but I'm excited to see.

Can't argue with that. Another super impressive guy. I hadn't watched much of him, because of the reports that he doesn't tackle (which now seem way overblown). But the more I see, the more sure I am that at worst he will be a decent starting corner. At best, he's got the juice and the mentality to be an all-pro if he puts it together.

[LyndonvilleBill]

Elam was my favorite. I think a much needed upgrade over Wallace and also has room for additional improvement. Can't wait to see what he becomes with our coaching.

 

I'll say Bernard is a close second. I said in other posts, the more I read and watch I understand why we drafted him. Plus having a Milano clone, I think he was a great choice as a 3rd LB and potentially a great backup in case of injury. 

[DCbillsfan]

While I'm excited about what Cook could bring to the offense, as well as, Bernard to the defense when they go 4 - 3, my choice is Elam.  I've been wanting an upgrade at CB2 for 2 years now.  I think Elam will allow defensive play calls we haven't seen since McD arrived.

[SCBills]

James Cook. 
 

Get him a bit more bulked up and he’s designed in a lab for the Bills Offense. 

[No_Matter_What]

27 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

For me it’s Khalil Shakir. Not sure how a guy with 4.43 speed and his production can be there when there was a massive run on WRs. Apparently Beane thought enough of him to move up 20 spots to get him. 
 

Everything I see says he’s elite in YAC, which is something we sorely lack. He’s our long term slot IMO. I expect to see him get burn this year in sweeps and returns. I’m very excited about this pick. 

This needs poll.

[blacklabel]

They certainly have a theme with the type of players they prefer to pick. High character, hard workers, humble, team first, smart, etc. And they’re not afraid to look at a player not only for what he is now but what he can be with their training and coaching. 
 

I’m pretty psyched for Shakir. Like a lot of their other picks, I’m sure they’ll work him in slowly. Everything I’ve read about him sounds super positive. I saw scout quotes that thought he could go as high as mid-second round, but I also saw scout quotes that said he was completely average at everything and the scout wouldn’t even consider him for a UDFA signing. Whatever, opinions are all over the place this year. The main knocks I saw on him were the short arms and teams being unsure of how to best utilize his skill set. I mean, if those are really the only two things keeping you from adding this guy to your team then, I dunno, you’re kind of a dummy. It certainly appears he has enough positive traits to compensate for the areas he lacks in. 
 

Bernard is also intriguing. Super under the radar pick but he’s super smart, productive, if a little undersized. Beane will go for a player who has all the traits you want except elite size. I remember when they drafted Milano, he was like 6’0” 219 coming out of college and had played safety early on at BC. I thought he was too small to play linebacker but he’s been nothing but a perfect fit in this system and a solid player. Heck, the most athletically gifted player with elite physical tools (Edmunds) is the one that gets dragged non-stop by a lot of the online Bills fan community. 
 

Basically, if you’ve got the desire to get better along with the other traits I named above plus at least average athleticism, then you’ve got a chance to make it on the Bills roster. They’re gonna maximize what they already do well and do as much as they can to improve in the areas that most need it. 

[AuntieEm]

12 minutes ago, Last Guy on the Bench said:

Can't argue with that. Another super impressive guy. I hadn't watched much of him, because of the reports that he doesn't tackle (which now seem way overblown). But the more I see, the more sure I am that at worst he will be a decent starting corner. At best, he's got the juice and the mentality to be an all-pro if he puts it together.

 

  I take lack of tackling when they are still in college not as critical as many of these kids just want to do well and get drafted.  While getting a free college education is nice it doesn't offset loss of potential earning if they should suffer any major injury, so the less physical players may just be self preservation to get to the NFL healthy. 

[blacklabel]

30 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

For me it’s Khalil Shakir. Not sure how a guy with 4.43 speed and his production can be there when there was a massive run on WRs. Apparently Beane thought enough of him to move up 20 spots to get him. 
 

Everything I see says he’s elite in YAC, which is something we sorely lack. He’s our long term slot IMO. I expect to see him get burn this year in sweeps and returns. I’m very excited about this pick. 

According to some of the ol’ anonymous scout quotes I read, the big knocks on Shakir are the 29” arms (too short for a lot of teams, apparently) and the sense that he’s mainly just average at everything with no real elite skills or traits. Also, that some teams wouldn’t know how to best utilize his skill set. 

[HOUSE]

Elam

[whorlnut]

11 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

According to some of the ol’ anonymous scout quotes I read, the big knocks on Shakir are the 29” arms (too short for a lot of teams, apparently) and the sense that he’s mainly just average at everything with no real elite skills or traits. Also, that some teams wouldn’t know how to best utilize his skill set. 

Well I’ve seen a lot of Deebo Samuel-like predictions. He’s got good speed, used in jet sweeps, the slot, go routes. I’ve seen a lot of contested catches and good use of his catch radius on highlight videos. I’ve also read he’s one of the best at YAC. I think he’s got a great chance of being our slot for a few years at least. 

[Kmart128]

I cant believe ive ever said this during a Punter selection but for me its Punt God. That got me a audible yes when we annouced pick.... could just because i was shocked he made it to us after Stout and Camarda went so much earlier 

[blacklabel]

3 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

Well I’ve seen a lot of Deebo Samuel-like predictions. He’s got good speed, used in jet sweeps, the slot, go routes. I’ve seen a lot of contested catches and good use of his catch radius on highlight videos. I’ve also read he’s one of the best at YAC. I think he’s got a great chance of being our slot for a few years at least. 

I’m with ya, I’m excited for the pick. I was just reiterating some of the quotes I’ve seen. Compared to what he’s shown he can do, I wouldn’t look at the short arms as a barrier. They’re a little under the prototypical length or whatever but the dude more than makes up for it with his versatility. Lots of ways Dorsey can get him involved. I expect we won’t see much of him early on as is customary with McDermott rookies, but if he performs well when his number is called we should see him featured more and more as the season goes on. I like Cook too, and OJ Howard to go along with the group of Diggs, Davis, Crowder, McKenzie, Knox, and Singletary. Lot of options. 

[BuffaloRebound]

I like the Elam pick but love the potential of the Cook pick and what it does for our franchise QB.  

[Freddie's Dead]

Araiza, and it ain't close for second place.

[Pete]

Araiza!  I was pumped when I saw we picked him

[julian]

Cook… kamara type impact on the offense please

[Pete]

2022 Bills are so stacked- even the punter and kicker have swag.   Bass and Punt God- wow!

[Clyde Smith]

I was more pumped about Cook than Elam, but I like Elam!

[PonyBoy]

 

My favorite pick.... this never gets old!

[Utah John]

For me, it's Cook. I like his full package of skills.

 

I'm a little worried about Elam being forced into playing before he's fully engaged in the system.  Put a rookie QB out there and if he's not ready, or if the offense is tailored for him, he'll struggle until he learns.  If a QB can't do it, a CB could struggle too. Start out struggling and it's harder to excel in the long run.  

[stinky finger]

1 hour ago, SCBills said:

James Cook. 
 

Get him a bit more bulked up and he’s designed in a lab for the Bills Offense. 

 

Same here.

 

This just screams added dimension to an already elite offense. I can see where we diversify weekly as to which opponent we play. 

 

He's gonna be fun to watch.

[Awwufelloff]

Easily James Cook. Dude is the missing piece of our offense. That play at :12 is something I expect to see a lot of this year. Also look at that catch at 2:10....What NFL rbs can make that catch? Hes literally alvin kamara.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Awwufelloff

[Milanos Milano]

For the fun fan pick it’s Araiza. But the real practical immediate improvement is Elam. If Elam can do anything close to what White can do, we will have 2 true lock down corners and with the addition of Miller, it’s basically over for the opponents offenses. I honestly would not be surprised to see a record offense and near record defense this year. This defense has the potential to be 85 Bears good and the offense has the potential to be 2013 Broncos good. 

In 2019 we had 16.5 PPG on defense. I think we can beat that this year. 

[Chandler#81]

2 hours ago, Last Guy on the Bench said:

I'm going against the chalk to say Bernard.

 

Can't say I had ever heard of him pre-draft, but watching the highlights, reading the scouting reports, and, most of all, listening to him (super impressive guy), he's the kind of player I just love. And I still have a soft spot for a playmaking linebacker, because I am old and haven't quite caught up to the fact that LBs aren't nearly as important as they once were.

 

He's not the best player we drafted (probably), and could just be a kind of useful backup in his career. But I'm hoping he's stamped for bigger things. Love the way he plays.

 

Shakir would probably be second for me.

I agree with everything you said. It wouldn’t surprise me to see he eventually become a Strong Safety for us.

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, PonyBoy said:

 

My favorite pick.... this never gets old!

 

Another 50 says he eats it....

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Benford.

 

I feel like this guy is going to turn into an elite safety for us. Big (Poyer

and Hyde size), good tackler, and great hands/cover skills. 

[TonyBeets]

2 hours ago, julian said:

Cook… kamara type impact on the offense please

 

Honestly, this was my favorite pick also.  I know everyone wanted Hall and I get it...but James Cook to me is the electric back that we have been missing for a long time.  Just adds another dimension to our offense.

[716er]

Elam

[Buddo]

Before seeing the embedded draft room piece, it was Shakir, partly because it was a pick that looks like great value.

 

After that, Elam all the way, because the kid gets what he needs to be doing to become better.

 

We might end up with 2 shutdown CBs for a year or two if he progresses, and it looks like he's going to be happy to put the work in.

[hemma]

I’m rooting for Benford to make the team.

Can’t wait to watch him compete at SJF.

I bet he frustrates receivers so much that we’ll see more than one dust up.

[Mopreme]

Undrafted free agent - Wydermyer. 

[MJS]

It's a toss up between Elam and Araiza for me. I'm glad we took a corner with elite traits and athleticism. Really excited to upgrade at punter too,and getting him in the 6th I think is good value.

[Bobby Hooks]

2 hours ago, Utah John said:

For me, it's Cook. I like his full package of skills.

 

I'm a little worried about Elam being forced into playing before he's fully engaged in the system.  Put a rookie QB out there and if he's not ready, or if the offense is tailored for him, he'll struggle until he learns.  If a QB can't do it, a CB could struggle too. Start out struggling and it's harder to excel in the long run.  

Well, Elam’s going to be playing against one of the most high powered offenses in the league during every practice. So the coaches will get their looks, and Elam will be getting an all world education. 
 

Im not worried about him one bit. 

[newcam2012]

3 hours ago, LyndonvilleBill said:

Elam was my favorite. I think a much needed upgrade over Wallace and also has room for additional improvement. Can't wait to see what he becomes with our coaching.

 

I'll say Bernard is a close second. I said in other posts, the more I read and watch I understand why we drafted him. Plus having a Milano clone, I think he was a great choice as a 3rd LB and potentially a great backup in case of injury. 

I like how fans try to justify a reach and essentially a poor pick. No way should this guy have been the Bills 3rd round pick. He will likely never be a starter and dare I say how much impact will he have? Of course, thats just my viewpoint and one never knows with any draft pick. Look at Allen for example. I get the pick because the Bills LB crew is pretty weak and not deep. Hopefully, he can really contribute in the special teams area. 

[Bobby Hooks]

After watching highlights etc. I’m very excited about Shakir, only thing I’m concerned about is being able to get him on the field. Seeing Davis shut down for most of the season last year for Sanders was scarring. 
 

Very excited about Cook too. Looks like he does almost exactly what they were hoping Mckissic was coming in for. They obviously have some big plans for that kind of guy in this offense. 
 

I’m happy we picked punt god for sure, but I don’t see how anyone can be that excited about him. I mean, he does the one thing we don’t want to have to do. It’s the one player drafted I never want to see play. 
 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Bobby Hooks